Denizens of the Underworld Review, Part 2

Our staff has put together a first blush analysis of the newly released Denizens of the Underworld. We’ve used a one through five scale; five being the best. The cards are listed in numeric order. Our reviewers are listed in alphabetical order. Let us know in the comments how you feel about the cards in this pack!


[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_the-clover-club-dotu.jpg'] The Clover Club

Danigral - 4 out of 5
This enables so many tricks for Syndicate. Now suddenly Bound and Gagged hits all 3 skill characters, Tear Gas hits all 2 skill characters, and David Pan and Peter Glover are even better at what they do. Not to mention Ice Shaft. It only works on your turn, but that fits perfectly into a deck that wants to capitalize on unopposed. Loyal is a little bit of a down side, but you will likely only be playing this in a mono deck, and even if not, it’s not that big of a deal if you build your deck right. 3 cost loyal is where it starts getting prohibitive, so you could even consider putting this in with Yog for all their skill shenanigans. It would be a 5 if it weren’t a Location support, since there are already a lot of answers for supports and locations in particular, and you won’t get the advantage until a turn later than you play it.

dboeren - 4 of 5
Best in skill decks of course, you’re probably not going to use it otherwise. Loyal isn’t that big a deal at cost 2 (and skill decks are typically mono anyway), but it is a limitation that it’s only usable on your own turn. Thus, I think it works best if you have some Arcane or straightening abilities to prevent your opponent easily trading unopposed stories. Fortunately, this is not so hard to come by using either Mr. David Pan, Crooked Attorney, La Bella Luna, Master of the Myths, etc…

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Now that be a right beast of a den for yer skill-decks, no doubt about it. Just don’t drink the hooch, it’ll take yer memory.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Plain and simple maybe the most powerful tool for a skill manipulation deck. If you are running a deck that wants to play around skill this I feel could easily be the most powerful/useful card for that deck style repeatable skill reduction that hits multiple characters.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
If you’re not splashing Syndicate into another deck… this will be on your “will probably make the deck” list. Enjoy.

Kamacusey-3 out of 5
I love this card but it is a very specific card that goes into a very specific deck. That being said it majorly boosts the skill deck type. Anything that can give you a repeatable benefit is good in my book.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_danny-obannions-office-dotu.jpg'] Danny O'Bannion's Office

Danigral - 4 out of 5
With very little investment, this can really help your board recover. There are a lot of destruction effects in the environment now, so this may help temper your opponent’s zeal with those effects. With all the 0 cost effects that Syndicate has now, the extra card draw will be a big boon. And remember that a character destroyed by wounds from combat will also trigger this.

dboeren - 4 of 5
Anything free is worth a look, and this card can potentially net you several cards over the course of the game. On the other hand, Syndicate often arranges to go unopposed so depending on the matchup you may or may not be losing many guys - I suggest testing your deck and then counting your dead at the end to measure. It’s certainly worth considering though and pretty awesome against a lot of Cthulhu decks.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Now, sacrificing ain’t destroying, and there’ll be days when this’ll do jack all… while in others it’ll save yer bacon all game long. Another meta-card, which’ll prove it’s worth in some games… and end in your domains in others.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
I know I seem to be in the minority about card draw in CoC but coming from A Game Of Thrones background draw will always be appealing to me, and the fact that Syndicate decks seem to be able to play out their hand quicker than most due to their lower cost curve draw becomes even more important and for a 0 cost support that can draw you multiple cards each turn is very useful.

Tom Capor - Magnus Arcanis
Apparently College Prospect got the job and taught every thug in the business how to be useful when they’re the fall guy. May not make the cut in every deck, but will be around as a strong meta choice for years to come.

Kamacausey-3 out of 5
Cards! Syndicate love to draw them some cards much like the students and professors over at Miskatonic University. Like already mentioned, this card is a meta choice but in the right meta it can be fantastic. I love the flavor of this card!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_under-cover-of-darkness-dotu.jpg'] Under Cover of Darkness

Danigral - 3 out of 5.
This can be interesting if you want to work in a Night theme in your deck but don’t want to dedicate so much to stand effects or arcane. It also pairs well with Unending Festivities conspiracy from Terror in Venice, or Panic! from the Core, since now knelt characters can do double duty.

dboeren - 3 of 5
This card has two functions - it makes it Night (and destroys Day cards), and then it lets you commit while exhausted to one story. You typically won’t be exhausted on your turn, so normally this is for the purpose of defending a particular story.

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Another chance for a night job is always fancy, but then this does bring very little bang for your buck… generally these kinds of story attachment’s just ain’t as big a thing, since they just channel your opponent to other avenues instead of doing much else.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
More useful in decks that want to reliably make it night, but in normal deck the effect isn’t powerful enough to waist a support slot for. Being able to commit while exhausted is great, however, giving up a support slot in deck and a card in your deck isn’t powerful enough when Syndicate can just win a story in 2 turns anyways.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
A niche card for decks that lack arcane icons or other readying effects. Though, getting an
Early Start on the job could help things go over without a hitch.

Kamacausey-2 out of 5
Not quite coaster material but close. The only thing that saves it and may make it playable one day is the fact that it turns it Night and destroys all Day cards. Still though I’ll be surprised if the card ever sees action on table tops.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_house-advantage-dotu.jpg'] House Advantage

Danigral - 2 out of 5
While it has immunity, if you have even 1 insane character it will get shut off. It’s non-unique, but the effect doesn’t really stack, so it’s not worth running a full playset of. It can be very good in a Naomi O deck to recur the tactics every turn and trigger them twice with her. It’s probably better than Bootlegging Operation, though.

dboeren - 3 of 5
This card improves your card draw and combos with effects that put cards on the bottom of your deck - plus in a mono deck it’s immune to destruction so your opponent can’t get rid of it. Best in bottom-manipulation decks of course.

Ire & WWDrakey - 2 out of 5
Ehh… Filtering and recurral of bottom cards is decent, but the immunity will often be turned off, and it’s not really netting you all that much to be honest. Not worth the benjamins.

mnBroncos - 1 out of 5
This card is very weird and although there are few ways to put cards on the bottom of your deck I feel this effect won’t be that useful for a 2 cost support when we have better options at that cost. The main problem is unless shuffling the deck you're just going to keep drawing from bottom which is just as random as top if you don’t like that top card.
(on a side note I feel I'm going to have to be very careful with playing this card in a tournament. You will have to draw that bottom card without looking at the bottom of the card because I would consider it cheating if you drew bottom card while noticing the next card on the bottom.)

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
There are reasons to use this card, one of them is named Naomi. Technically this is a niche card with specific purposes, but its a neat card that let you do some right nasty stuff.

Kamacausey-3 out of 5
House Advantage is a niche card but it is a niche card that has a decent ability and therefore it will see some play. It pretty much will always be immune seeing as how its best use is in a mono Syndicate deck where it abuses the bottom off the deck. Oh and it’s tailor made for the tactic event star Naomi. She loves her house advantage.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_city-map-dotu.jpg'] City Map

Danigral - 3 out of 5
More fuel for the fire for Naomi and tactics and House Advantage. Niche, but it is card advantage if you’ve built your deck that way.

dboeren - 3 of 5
Useful with Naomi (or just to draw more Tactic events in general) plus it can stack the bottom of your deck for cards like House Advantage. Not bad for cost 1.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Very niche… but then the niche does have some real nice elements and the 1 cost is perfect for getting the ball rolling fast.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Hmm now I see a connection with our first card Naomi O’Bannion (even in flavor text) running a Tactic deck with this card and Her could very well be a viable option and will be a fun deck type to play around with.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
House Advantage and City Map make an excellent core for any deck that even hints at using Tactic event cards. A new archetype that fits in seamlessly with Syndicate’s core principles.

Kamacausey-4 out of 5
Obviously you have to go the Tactic event route with this card but boy does it help out the cause! It will be one of the main reasons that the Tactic deck type will be playable since it is a repeatable way to get your Tactic event cards. Also, another great thing this card does is it lets you put the remaining cards on the bottom of your deck IN ANY ORDER. It will open up ways to abuse getting the cards on the bottom of your deck. House Advantage’s stock just went up!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_concrete-and-chains-dotu.jpg'] Concrete and Chains

Danigral - 2 out of 5
Very cool thematically, but very low impact overall I think. Each turn it’s -1, but the destruction effect only works when you trigger the forced response and check the condition. I would like it more if it destroyed it as a passive so you would be able to combine it with other skill reduction effects at any time, but as it is, it’s very slow, and therefore ultimately only useful against 1-2 skill dudes, and only if they can’t remove it by throwing it under the bus for terror. Bound and Gagged would be a better option.

dboeren - 3 of 5
I like the concept, but it’s a little slow unless you have more skill reduction to help it along so I’m likely to take Tear Gas instead which comes with an immediate -1 and can be played at any time. Not a bad card, but not sure it’s better than other tools we have.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Now that’s one nicely thematic swim in the deep. Overall it gives a tool for removing problem characters… as long as you can keep them exhausted until then, or are dealing with 1-3 skill characters. Nice balancing there with the timing, making it impossible to lower skill through actions before this triggers.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
For those Netrunner players out there looks like we got ourselves a Parasite. Having an eventual doom for a character (even an Ancient One) is always a great tool to have in a deck. Being able to progress the destruction with more skill reduction just makes this card great and made me rate Marine Salvager higher because this is a great combo with that character.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcnais
Ever get that sinking feeling when you know your favorite character isn’t long for this world? Turns out, this version is literal. Sadly, this didn’t turn out the way I hoped as often it will be to slow to solve any high skill problems

Kamacausey-4 out of 5
What a cool card and the artwork is probably my favorite of the set! Every skill manipulation deck will be packing 3 of this card. Yes, it is slow against some ancient ones but it is great inevitable removal and it kills the majority of the characters you will normally face. Very good card overall. The only reason it’s not a 5 is sometimes the removal takes a bit. Absolutely worth it though!
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_indebted-dotu.jpg'] Indebted

Danigral - 2 out of 5
So this is a different type of removal basically forcing your opponent to choose between the character and paying over and over for it. Unless it’s to your opponent’s advantage to keep the character (which inevitably means he can hurt you), then your opponent will just sack him. So you’re paying 2 to maybe get a 3 cost dude, maybe a 4 cost late game. It also susceptible to removal from terror or other support destruction. This just isn’t worth it.

dboeren - 3 of 5
Not bad, inexpensive removal but delayed. Your opponent can resist but then it’s a drag on his resources. Maybe a good candidate for Syndicate/Cthluhu decks that use cards which benefit from sacrifices.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
With the built-in structure of limiting resource expenditure to 3 paid effects for a pair of turns, these specific kind of negative support attachments get a lot more weight… Especially with sacrifice working around invulnerability as well.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Still a great card but after seeing Concrete and Chains I don’t see me ever needing this card over that one.

Kamacausey-2 out of 5
Decent removal but not reliable enough. Between immurement, concrete and chains, tear gas and other removal the Syndicate has access to I just don’t see this card seeing much play. It’s not worthless though so it’s a 2 as opposed to a 1.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
I’m not a fan of cards that let my opponent decide their fate (thats my job!). However, watching the player across the table sweat over paying up or suffer the beating could be worth it. Really though, Indebted is an early to early-mid card at best when your opponent’s resources are low and it can serve as a meta choice against decks that like to build up a single domain. Also, take note that you can attach this to your own character allowing you to use it’s sacrifice effects to trigger some synergistic cards. So, not the greatest card in the box, but if you look deep enough you’ll find that taxing characters can be beneficial.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_length-of-pipe-dotu.jpg'] Length of Pipe

Danigral - 4 out of 5
This is better. Very low investment for what can almost be considered unopposed at a story, or an added disincentive for those pesky Master of the Myths.

dboeren - 4 out of 5
Solid card for taking out annoying enemy characters and cheap too. Shouldn’t be hard to win SOMETHING, but you need to keep pipe-guy alive through the early struggles until you do.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Bump - Clang! Good riddance.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
A very great defensive card. Direct wound is always nice and having that threaten to push through as an attacker or prevent attacks from opponent is always useful.

Tom Capor - Magnus Arcanis
Only a criminal can turn wielding a hunk of metal like a baseball bat into a work of art. That being said, this card looks better on paper than it does in practice. Syndicate isn’t known for their prowess at story struggles as they often seek to minimize the amount of opposing combatants. So while having some pipe helps, odds are your opponent will find other ways around this card rather than taking it on the chin.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_la-bella-luna-dotu.jpg'] La Bella Luna

Danigral - 4 out of 5
Very good card for criminals. Not quite as good as the 5-star San Marco, but you know what? Run both for day, and agency support, and then all your criminals can stand every round and then some. Or use Rays of Dawn to remove a lot of the terror out there. Then you don’t have to focus so much on arcane and double up on combat and investigation.

dboeren - 4 out of 5
This card is the reason I like Crooked Attorney so much, so that all my Criminals can keep readying to be available turn after turn. If you play Cenacle multiplayer it’s a definite 5.

Ire & WWDrakey - 4 out of 5
Now… that ain’t half bad there. The Day stuff is all fine and dandy, but it’s the timing here that gets the ‘Chocolate donut with lockpicks baked in’ -prize.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
This card alone can make running effects to make it day in a Criminal deck worth it. Standing EVERY Criminal character can make it really hard for your opponent to push through stories at all. Even the effect to stand just one character is worth considering running but this is really a star in Day decks.

Kamacausey-4 out of 5
The mobsters get a version of San Marco Basilica! Not quite as good but it definitely has its merits, especially during Day. Readying a single character is good but when you ready your entire team it can be game winning. This will be a welcome hangout for the Syndicate thugs and hitmen.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
I think this card is a trap for most Syndicate decks. Syndicate enjoys letting your opponent exhaust their own characters to commit to stores and then punishing whatever meager defenses they have left for a massive counterattack. So a card that lets you put a defense will cause your opponent to defend and criminals don’t like confrontation. However, should Syndicate ever need to evolve into a more defensive or combo faction this could be a tool to help.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_made-man-dotu.jpg'] Made Man

Danigral - 2 out of 5
A lot of Syndicate characters are expendable and have high skill compared to cost, so when I can attach this to my Hatchet Man or Cat Burglar, I can hit a lot of stuff. That said, it’s 2 cards for an opponent’s 1 card, and it’s situational.

dboeren - 2 of 5
Not a fan of this one really. It does provide some disincentive to killing my guy, but it feels slow and not worth it. It could have some use on a high skill guy combined with killing him yourself but it’s not one of my favorites in the set.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
It ain’t as bad as many here seem to think, but neither is it stellar. Not having that Ancient One limitation is a nice bonus at the least, for getting rid of a troublesome Y’Golognac.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
Just like my reviews in Game of Thrones I tend to have a higher expectation for Location/Events in that game as I do for Support/Events in this game. Although this is an okay effect I doubt I will run it. Has a requirement on who can attach too and you have to plan on that character eventually being destroyed before can even trigger this.

Kamacausey-1 out of 5
I’m not a fan of this card at all. It can be utilized to kill most of the characters that you want to kill when your high skilled criminal equips it but who wants to trade two cards for one of your opponents? I don’t imagine I will be seeing much of this card…

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
I’m last to the party, but I think I’m going to disagree with my comrades here. First, Syndicate has very little hard removal. Second, the effect can affect most characters and with enough effort… Ancient Ones. Third, it practically makes your Made Man untargetable in regards ‘destroy’ effects as the ratio will turn into a 2 for 2 (2 of your cards for 2 of theirs) for you opponent with theirs typically being more valuable. Still a far cry from being a top notch card, but a for niche card with niche uses… we’ve seen worse.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_immurement-dotu.jpg'] Immurement

Danigral - 4 out of 5
This card will be very good. It can be great at a story to bounce a character that will give you trouble, and then they won’t see it again unless the have some weird domain manipulation and recursion tricks. The only downside to this is that you have to be very aware of which of your domains are open, as it will reward a deck that builds to 2-2-1 or 2-2-2, otherwise you will need to keep your 3 domain open all the time and telegraph the heck out of this.

dboeren - 5 out of 5
Great card, very versatile, and giving away a free resource isn’t as big a deal as it seems when you first look at the card. It’s also a good counter for characters that operate from the discard pile. Especially handy with Naomi O’Bannion.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Now Naomi, that there gal likes to bury her problems… in the brickwork.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Now here is a Tactic event you can build a deck around. Being able to get rid of your opponents most powerful Support/Character is always handy to have and although it boosts your opponents resource curve, the opponent wouldn’t have build deck with that resource acceleration in mind and probably won’t be as big of deal as getting rid of that key character at a key moment.

Kamacausey-5 of out 5
A very solid event card, and it’s Tactic too! I forsee this being a staple in every Syndicate deck. The versatility of this card is what makes it shine so bright. I mean who isn’t interested in getting rid of troublesome characters and support cards? This is one of the only cards besides burrowing beneath that can remove support cards on your opponents turn. This will be one of the most played cards out of this set I do believe.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
Strong card. Even stronger in a deck/faction that likes to build their domains horizontally (2-2-2 pattern instead of 4-1-1 or 3-2-1). Being a Tactic to boot… what’s not to love?
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_on-the-lam-dotu.jpg'] On the Lam

Danigral - 5 out of 5
This is awesome. I’m very glad it has a limit otherwise it would be very overpowered. This will work well with Naomi to lock a character down once per turn. It can keep a character down, or up, but either way it can’t commit to a story since it can’t exhaust. This is basically a more versatile Behind Bars.

dboeren - 5 out of 5
Another strong 0-cost Event and a Tactic for Naomi. Exhaustion has always been a good gig for Syndicate and doing it for free is even better. The 1-per-turn limit isn’t that big a deal either. I like that you can play this to counter a pop-in Master of the Myths without having to keep a domain open.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Them there 0 cost events? They be good. And this here? It be even better.

mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
WOW WOW that Tactic deck is looking like a real viable deck strategy. Being able to make a character basically useless on your turn and your opponents turn for FREE is amazing! Not much more to say about this card except that will probably be in every single Syndicate deck.

Kamacausey-5 out of 5
What a saucy little Tactic event card! This makes most of the other Syndicate exhaustion effects look silly. The fact that it shuts down their character on your turn and theirs is what really makes this card awesome! It gives you double the mileage! Heck yea! I don’t see anything wrong with this card. Asking for it to hit Ancient Ones for 0 cost would just be greedy but I would sure like it.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
“Get outta town.” Immunity to readying and exhausting for a round… can turn this into quite a versatile card. And it’s a Tactic! Learn it, use it, love it.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_reallocate-dotu.jpg'] Reallocate

Danigral - 2 out of 5
I love the idea of this card, and against the right deck, this could be devastating. I’m thinking mostly of decks that build up to 4+ on one domain. That said, even best case scenario, it would work best late game, and then would only slow down the opponent temporarily. If you play it vs. 3-1-1, the opponent gets 2-2-1, which only marginally slows them down for resourcing by 1 turn. So this is a one-of if at all. The only thing making it 2 is that it gains you a domain and resource, but I think Eldritch Nexus is better in that regard. It can also let you play an additional 2-cost card by rearranging your domains. It might become better if the game slows down, but for now, it’s not worth the card slot.

dboeren - 3 out of 5
Flattening domains hasn’t seemed to work as well in practice as in theory, but it does gain you a 1-domain which is useful. In certain situations it’s very harsh on an opponent like when they’re trying to race towards 6-1-1 and start dropping Ancient Ones, but in many other situations it’s more like a 2-cost Eldritch Nexus so I count it as a conditional counter type of card.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Now it’s the extra domain here that makes the card really click. Without it, it would just be a whole lot of effort for not doing much, but widening your resources in the process makes it a whole lot better.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
The thing I like about this event is most Syndicate decks seem to like to go 2/2/1 in resources. So being able to make an opponent's deck that is trying to get to the higher resources unable to can destroy some deck strategies, being able to then gain a domain with a resource is nothing to overlook as well since Syndicate has lot of pay 1 to do x effects.

Kamacausey-3 out of 5
An eldritch nexus with a meta ability. Seeing as how everyone is trying to blitz their opponents face’s off I don’t see this getting much play at the moment but when the meta slows back down and players are trying to build big domains again I could see a use for this card.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
Resource trickery! You’ll need to find a reason to use this card as it’s clearly in the niche category. It’s a meta choice against decks that like to build vertically, and with some clever choices you can use it to get play two 3 cost cards a turn early. It also has the minor benefit of allowing you to fix your resourcing mistakes or re-use an out of faction resource. It’s a niche card with niche uses, but clever players could find it a home.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_forced-compliance-dotu.jpg'] Forced Compliance

Danigral - 2 out of 5
Expensive, limited in when you can play it, and situational. I think I’ll pass most of the time. In some games it will be amazing, but I think your opponent will just sac it instead of letting it work against you for probably better benefit.

dboeren - 3 out of 5
I like this one. A little pricy though and the Operations phase limit is significant so I can’t rate it higher. But it does get a problem character either working for you or permanently removed either of which are good effects.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
3 is a lot for an event… although this does do quite a bit, albeit with real limitations. Pretty much balanced for what it does.

mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Although this is a great event I feel like most times I’d rather play my own 3 cost character then just destroying one of my opponents. But I could see times this event being a game winner.

Kamacausey-2 out of 5
I feel like this card cost 1 too much. It’s not bad by any means but 3 is getting towards the higher end of most Syndicate deck curves. I could be wrong about this card but most of my Syndicate decks are going to pick up other events over this one.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
While I never like giving my opponent’s choices, this might be an exception. This can be a really cool card against most targets, but if you combo it with say... Lena… Forcing an Ancient One’s compliance can be devastating.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_pay-tribute-dotu.jpg'] Pay Tribute

Danigral - 5 out of 5
0-cost exhaust is fantastic, and it goes on the bottom to recur with your other stuff. This is comparable to Behind Bars at the same cost, and has the same uses. While this can lock down some utility characters that kneel for their effect as well, Behind Bars can hit AOs. So hey, run both

dboeren - 4 out of 5
No Tactic for Naomi here and more limited on when to use it. But, going on the bottom of your deck is beneficial with some of Syndicate’s bottom-drawing cards if you happen to want it back so it’s not all bad and it *is* free after all.

Ire & WWDrakey - 5 out of 5
Them 0 cost events? They be good. This be even more.

mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Another great 0 cost event. The only reason it is not a 5 is that it can only be played during your turn, events that can be played on both players turns are just that much more useful. This is great for rushing but doesn’t help control your opponent at all.

Kamacausey-4 out of 5
Holy cow batman! Another awesome 0 costed event card for the mobsters! Although this event is lacking the tactic keyword it is still very good and geared towards a deck with naomi or house advantage. All in all another fantastic event card for the Syndicate.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
This is a great card on it’s own, but I hear that Degenerate Gamblers and Smugglers in Cat Houses often have to Pay Tribute.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_turf-war-dotu.jpg'] Turf War

Danigral - 3 out of 5
Another situational 2-cards-for-1-card, the difference with this one is that it can be used very well on defense if they commit only 1 character. Still very situational. It definitely has its uses, but in a deck that isn’t trying to rush.

dboeren - 4 out of 5
I love this card, it makes such wonderful traps. What, I can trade my cheap piddly dudes for your good ones? My faction that can rush out more guys will gain more than yours that is slower to replace them too. This is a card for use when your opponent sends good guys to stories and you counter them with your wimpiest defenders and watch them cry. The timing is good too, as you will then have the next opportunity to play more characters and Syndicate can often use a card like this to break a stalemate that develops if you don’t win early enough.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Now, that sounds like heaploads of fun. Get yer Tommy guns!

mnBroncos - 1 out of 5
Although it can work out great for you, I feel just as often it will be a useless card in your hand and it could hurt you just as much. With how many good events (especially the 0 cost ones) in this box makes this one seem pretty unapealing.

Kamacausey-2 out of 5
A neat ability but the sacrifice you have to make will sometimes not be worth it. It’s a card you have to plan around and trick your opponent into. I’m afraid most of the time another Syndicate event will take a spot over this. This will have to be an event you build an idea around.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
Generally, I’m going to pass on this bomb. However, in a ‘lure’ strategy forcing your opponent to commit characters they don’t want to… that something I can get behind. Combine with cards like Yithian Scout or other easily replaceable mooks and enjoy the massacre.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_roll-the-dice-dotu.jpg'] Roll the Dice

Danigral - 2 out of 5
Too expensive for a risk. Yes, I can pack in all high skill characters, but what if my opponent hits the random Twilight Cannibal or Cannibal Ghast in his deck? Good game, son. I think I’ll passfor something more guaranteed. I guess if this is done as the active player, you get to decide in ties, which is something at least, and you can play this after you commit for relatively little downside, since your characters that matter are already exhausted, or on defense after you commit. So it’s similar to Panic in this regard. Still it’s too expensive.

dboeren - 1 of 5
Man, that’s a gamble. I’m willing to play this only if I build a whole deck around high skill guys. Not skill lowering, you need native high skill ALL OVER. And maybe something that lets you see your top card too. If you do ALL THAT, you can then have, effectively, a Panic. Oh wait. Or I could just play Panic with no risk? I’m gonna do that. If it was cheap maybe, but for this cost I can’t take that risk.

Ire & WWDrakey - 1 out of 5
Them 4 cost events? They need to be whammies. This here, it’s a just a russian roulette!

mnBroncos - 1 out of 5
A 4 cost event that could end up hurting you is to risky for my taste but it definitely is a roll the dice effect. However, being able to play this card at the end of opponents turn so that you could stand your guys if hits yourself makes this card at least maybe playable in a just for fun deck.

Kamacausey-1 out of 5
4 cost events should be awesome on their own and this just isn’t. I don’t want to take a chance that a card I paid premium for may miss. And I don’t want to play other cards in my deck just to make this card playable. No thanks. Ill pass.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
Sure, it’s a gamble but like most gambles in the Cthulhu mythos… you can cheat. Play after you commit characters to stories or at the end of your opponent’s turn to eliminate most, if not all of the downside. Using naturally high skill characters can turn into a top tier card, especially as a splash card.
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[CRB='forums/uploads/coc/med_a-cunning-ruse-dotu.jpg'] A Cunning Ruse

Danigral - 3 out of 5
This is just a cool idea. One, you get the benefits of any conspiracy effects from other cards, and two, it’s just an extra token at any story you want, since Syndicate will in all likelihood win this skill check. If you have ready effects like La Bella Luna, the only downside is the card slot taken up by a conspiracy.

dboeren - 3 of 5
Very interesting card, a Conspiracy that helps you win *other* stories, and you only compete on skill, which Syndicate is good at winning. I can dig it.

Ire & WWDrakey - 3 out of 5
Conspiracies are always a bit of a tempo loss, but this one’s… quite underhanded. It’ll take some real skill to win it, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Should be fun with some of the gents without much icons, but interesting abiltiies.

mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
I am usually not a fan of conspiracy as in you're taking a spot in your deck that your opponent can use as well and the other conspiracies Syndicate has seems better than this one in my opinion.

Kamacausey-2 out of 5
Flavor wise I love this card, execution wise I don’t think it’s worth it. I’m getting picky with my conspiracies. I want them to do something when they enter play that away if my opponent wins the conspiracy I still feel like I got something out of it. Maybe it will see some play in a skill based deck but I doubt it.

Tom Capor - aka Magnus Arcanis
Might not be the most competitive card on the block, but this card is just too clever for it’s own good. Flavor and execution are just perfect. A perfect fit for a deck focusing on skill.
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